A road safety charity has condemned the sentence given to a motorist who knocked down and killed a seven-year-old boy while talking on her mobile phone.

However, the mother of Tydd St Mary Primary School pupil Seth Dixon has forgiven driver Amy Asker, who was fined just £90 and given five points on her driving licence.

The section of road where Seth Dixon, 7, was knocked over and killed.

Road safety campaigners branded the sentencing of Asker an ‘insult’ to the family of Seth.

He died just before Christmas 2014 from head injuries after he was hit by Ms Asker’s Ford Mondeo as he crossed a road outside his home.

Ms Asker (33) was fined £90 after admitting a charge of careless driving rather than the more serious offence of causing death by dangerous driving when she appeared before magistrates.

She was also ordered to pay a £20 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

Amy Asker

In Thursday’s Spalding Guardian we reported the inquest into Seth’s death, where it was heard that Ms Asker had been talking on the phone to a friend using its loud speaker when she hit Seth –known as Smiler.

Alice Bailey, campaigns adviser for road safety charity Brake, said: “The driver’s explanation and the subsequent fine and penalty points are an insult to the family.

“This tragic story illustrates why driving when distracted can be deadly.

“We’re calling on the government to make all phone use in vehicles illegal.

“Even when speaking on a hands free unit, your reaction times are 30 per cent slower than if you were at the current drink-drive limit in England and Wales.

“Having a conversation with a passenger in a car is very different. They can perceive hazards and understand the road conditions and behave accordingly.”

Seth was crossing the road outside his home in Tydd Gote to post a letter when the tragedy occurred on December 5, 2014.

The coroner heard that Ms Asker claimed she hadn’t seen Seth and only became aware of him on impact.

Asker, of Clapper Lane, Clenchwarton, near King’s Lynn, was driving her car at around 27mph in a 30mph zone at the time.

Coroner Paul Cooper recorded a narrative conclusion and said: “I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Ms Asker’s use of the mobile phone contributed to the cause of this child’s unfortunate death.”

Seth’s mother Alice Husband (42) said she hoped her son’s death would come as a strong warning to drivers not to use their phones behind the wheel.